This was my favorite book as a child. I loved reading it to my kids, but I needed something to listen to on a drive today and listened to it myself. It stands up even after so many decades. 

Simi is a Mami Wata, (west African mythological mermaid) who is tasked with gathering and guiding the souls of people who’ve died in the sea, but then she finds a boy, Kola, who’s still alive and rescues him, setting off a chain of events that could mean the end of her kind. Simi and Kola set off to find a way for Simi to ask forgiveness 

The African mythology in this story is like nothing I’ve ever read. The story brings these gods and creatures to life, vibrantly. The story moves fast, but is easy to follow. Fascinating and beautifully told. 

India wants nothing other than to be an actress, but when she finds herself pregnant at 16, she has to face a monumental decision and what it means for her dreams. This book follows India as she wrestles with difficult choices and how they affect not only herself but also the people around her. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was so touching and dealt with difficult subjects in a delicate and hopeful way. The characters were a little too perfect, and their lives, not realistically messy, but overall, so endearing. I absolutely adored the attachment of the characters to one another because family can be about blood and who you grow up with, but it is also about who you choose to call family. Really lovely.

This was fun and campy. If you like “Clue” you’ll love this book

Well that was a wild ride! I listened to this book in 3 days and kept coming up with chores to do so I could keep listening. My biggest complaint was the narrator was sometimes  slow and choppy, and it occasionally took me out of the story. But overall I really enjoyed this story. It kept me on my toes and although I predicted the end, which I don’t often do, it didn’t actually feel predictable. 

This book was interesting and the story was fun. It was too long and convoluted, though. The connections between stories felt forced and unplanned. I really enjoyed it but it took a long time to get through it.